Reality Bites
by PenGirl97
Summary: Aria has found out that "A" is Ezra Fitz, her ex-boyfriend, her soul mate, her English teacher. Ezra is unaware that Aria knows, and none of the girls know, either. Where will this take their relationship when Aria decides to take matters into her own hands? Based off of the summer finale. Xoxo, PenGirl97
1. Reality Bites

**Reality Bites**

_B-26_

_It's a number._

_It's a song._

_It's a girl._

_Smooth._

_Pearl joy packed._

_Gold falafel,_

_As through ice._

_It's four-thirty._

_Morning with Phone calls._

_It's deaf mute._

_It's cheap._

_A foreign car._

_Maybe bingo._

_Lucky night?_

_Something says It smells bad._

I had reread the poem so many times that I had lost count. It couldn't be true. Ezra Fitz, my Ezra, could not be the person who has been tormenting me and the other girls for years now. Ezra Fitz could not be "A". I felt the familiar sting in my eyes and lack of air as the tears overwhelmed me once again. My throat choked back the wails and cries that threatened to escape my mouth and give away my complete and utter undoing. The tears that I tried to hold back were the ones you didn't want to fall, the tears that you knew were being wasted on someone who didn't deserve them, the tears that made your head ache, but they always fell despite the hope that we would be strong enough to hold them in.

_I ran up the stairs and down the suspended metal walkway. I could see redcoat just steps in front of me, and I knew that I was getting closer – too close. I saw her scrambling, but only finding a dead end. I ran faster, harder, knowing that this was my one chance to see if CeCe was really the person we thought she was, or if we were wrong, once again._

_I moved closer to her, more hesitant and less brave than I was a few moments ago. I knew that she had nowhere to escape to, but I wasn't sure what to do. Would she explain everything peacefully, or would this suddenly turn into more than I had bargained for when I chased her up here? _

_In a moment of desperation and need for the truth, I lunged forward and towards her. She tried to block me, but, thankfully, having a martial arts instructor as a boyfriend was paying off. I kicked her in the stomach – hard, and watched her fall to the ground. I reached forward to pull off her plastic "Ali" mask, but she grabbed my wrist and pushed me backwards. I came at her again, this time kicking higher – kicking her in the chest. She fell backwards and I snatched the mask off of her face. CeCe. She jumped over the rail and clung onto a rope. Apparently she was even more desperate than me. The only difference was she was desperate to get away from me, not to know the truth._

_I saw her grip slipping from the rope, and saw the rope beginning to fray and give away. I groaned inwardly, knowing that I couldn't watch her fall to her death. I wasn't as harsh and bad ass as I often thought I was; I couldn't let another human being's life be taken and let it be my fault._

_I reached out a hand and looked at her face. I could only read one expression – terror. Her blue eyes pleaded with mine to save her, help her, forget what had just happened – that she had almost sawed Emily in half._

_I felt her sweaty palm sliding out of my grasp and I tried to hold onto her tighter, but it was to no avail. I watched her fall downwards. Down from the metal platform in the sawmill. Down to the cement floor. I saw her leg bend at an unnatural angle and her eyes clamp shut. I ran down to see if she was ok and leaned forward to check her pulse. I felt my own pulse racing as I prayed and hoped that she wasn't dead._

"_He's 'A'," she whispered, almost inaudibly._

"_Who's 'A', CeCe?" I asked frantically; I was too close. I had to know now. It had gone on for too long._

"_Ezra," she muttered before her brow furrowed and her eyes fluttered shut._

He was "A". The other girls didn't know. I couldn't possibly tell them that I had been the link and insider to "A". I had literally slept with the enemy, on more than one occasion. I had gotten texts from Ezra asking to meet up. Ironic, wasn't it? The one time he needed to know something, "A" was oblivious and ignorant? Irony, it was a funny thing. I felt my stomach flip as my phone went off once again.

"_Hey, Aria, can we please meet up? I need to see you…E.F."_

Could I go? Could I meet up with "A"? Could I risk not going? Was it better to play along and pretend that I didn't know or confront him? This was one scenario that I had never imagined or played out in my mind. I had never once thought that my boyfriend, my soul mate, the love of my life would be "A". Somehow, that thought never crept into my mind, but I really wish it had. I hated being the last one to the party, but I was surely going to raise hell now that I had finally been invited.

"_Hey, Ezra. Sure, The Brew in 30? –A"_

_A:N/_

_Hey, guys! So, this story was obviously inspired by the summer finale where we found out that Ezra is "A". I, personally, hated it and am still trying to cope with the fact that everyone's favorite English teacher is also the girl's stalker and tormenter. I couldn't really write a story about their love right now after that, so I decided to pursue this idea that Ezra is in fact "A" (which I hope he isn't). Hopefully writing this story will help. Let me know your thoughts! Xoxo, PenGirl97_


	2. Don't Sit So Close to Me

**Don't Sit So Close to Me**

I nervously checked the time on my phone as I walked down the street to The Brew. If felt my palms becoming slick with sweat and my stomach flip whenever I thought about what the coming seconds, and minutes, would bring.

"Aria," Ezra jumped up to meet me at the door to the coffee shop and walked me over to where he was sitting at a table in the corner.

"Uh, hi," I said as I plastered a nervous grin on my face.

I saw Ezra's eyebrows knit together as he pulled out my chair for me.

"Are you ok?" he asked with a slight smile as Emily began to move towards us to collect our order.

I swallowed hard as my eyes became completely focused on picking the nail polish off of my thumbnail.

"We need to talk about something…. I need to ask you something," I said as I blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill from my eyes and give away the betrayal that was eating away at me.

"Okay," Ezra said in an unsure tone as Emily finally reached our table.

"Hey, Em," I said with a bright smile as my eyes looked up to meet hers, "a soy latte, please."

Emily nodded and turned towards Ezra, who ordered a black coffee.

I could see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to process why I was on a late night coffee date with my ex-boyfriend/current English teacher. I tried to send her signals with my eyes and facial expressions, letting her know that I would spill all – or maybe not based on what he said – later.

"So," Ezra said as my eyes met his for the first time all night, "What do you want to talk about?"

I couldn't decide if he was playing dumb in hope that I wasn't going to ask him about his greatest secret, or if he really had no idea that maybe I had finally caught on to his double life- or triple if you consider me to be his double life.

"I," I felt the heat rising to my face as I relived the events of earlier this evening, "I need to ask you something that sounds ridiculous. I can't even believe I am asking you this, but I have reason to believe that it's possible. I just…I just need you to be honest with me. Can you promise me that? I…I can't take it if you lie to me…to my face in this moment. Please, Ezra?"

I saw his eyes narrow as he thought about what I had just said and asked of him.

"Aria, I would never lie to you," he said in a cautious tone as he leaned over the table and closer to me so that our conversation was even more intimate than before.

I glanced around The Brew nervously hoping that no one from my school was here, other than Emily.

"Earlier tonight," I began as I licked my lips, "I was in Ravenswood with the girls."

I looked up to see him staring intently back at me, but showing no signs of knowing what I was about to say.

"And, I saw CeCe Drake there," I continued as I took a deep and slow breath, "she…she was on the A-team."

Ezra pursed his lips, "_was_?"

I was taken aback that was all he had to say, but I decided to push that concern to the back of my mind. After all, his reaction to that news was not the part that was truly worrying me.

"She died…" I trailed off as I crinkled my forehead and closed my eyes for a moment before opening them to look at his face.

"Wha-how?" Ezra fumbled with his words as I saw his face struggling with the emotions and shock he was experiencing.

"She fell," I said simply as I thought back to her hand slipping from mine, her eyes begging me not to let her go.

"Ok. So what's your question?" he asked firmly and suddenly, catching me off-guard.

"I ran down the platform to where she landed to see if she was ok," this was the hard part, "and she told me something before she…before she passed on."

Ezra looked more intrigued than ever and leaned closer to me, which both scared me and lit hope within me.

"What did she tell you?" Ezra asked with his head tilted to the side.

"She said that you…you're 'A'", I spat out before I could second-guess myself.

I saw Ezra's eyes widen in shock and his mouth open to reply as Emily walked over with our drinks.

"Sorry that took so long!" she apologized cheerfully as she gave me a smile and turned on her heel to resume her post at the cash register.

My eyes immediately turned to look at Ezra, who was staring back at me with an expression that I couldn't make out. He took a long sip of his hot coffee before taking a deep breath and giving me a small smile.

"Is that all she told you?"

I felt shock taking over my entire body and I froze. I blinked rapidly as my brow furrowed with confusion and disappointment. That was his big reaction, his giant chance to defend himself as being labeled as the man who has been stalking me, and possibly the person who killed Alison DiLaurentis?

"Yes," I whispered softly as I felt the hot mug burning the skin on my knuckles.

_A:N/_

_Sorry it took me __**so**__ long to update. School has been __**crazy!**__ I hope you liked this chapter, and I will try to update again as soon as possible. Xoxo, PenGirl97_


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